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–+ servings
green enchilada sauce in a jar with a spoon
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5 from 1 vote

Green Enchilada Sauce Recipe

This fabulous enchilada sauce is so much fresher and more flavorful than anything you can buy, but equally flexible. Works with a wide variety of fillings. Makes about four cups, enough for one big pan of enchiladas.
Course: Sauces and Condiments
Cuisine: American
Keyword: green enchilada sauce recipe
Servings: 4 cups
Calories: 100kcal
Author: Carolyn Gratzer Cope

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons (30 ml) olive oil
  • 4 poblano peppers seeds and white ribs removed, diced
  • 1 white onion diced
  • 1 jalapeño pepper seeds and white ribs removed, diced
  • 8 cloves garlic chopped
  • 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 cup (240 ml) lower-salt vegetable or chicken broth
  • ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems
  • 3 tablespoons (45 ml) freshly squeezed lime juice (from one juicy lime)

Instructions

  • Warm olive oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. 
  • Add poblanos, onion, jalapeño, garlic, and salt.
  • Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and lightly browned in spots, about eight minutes.
  • Stir in cumin and pepper and cook one minute more, stirring constantly.
  • Transfer to a blender.
  • Add broth, cilantro, and lime juice.
  • Process until perfectly smooth.

Notes

  1. Poblano peppers have a great combination of flavor and very mild heat. They're generally easy to find in U.S. supermarkets, but if you can't find them or would rather, you can use Anaheim or Hatch chiles.
  2. Jalapeño peppers sold in the U.S. vary wildly in size and heat level. I did my best to develop this recipe to use one pepper that's average in both size and spiciness. I remove the seeds and white inner ribs to cut down on heat. Depending on your preferences and pepper availability, you can use more or less.
  3. Use a good, lower-sodium chicken broth or, to keep things vegetarian, vegetable broth. Imagine No Chicken Broth is my favorite boxed veggie broth by far, since it somehow magically has the flavor profile of a good chicken stock rather than being weirdly red and tasting tinny or sweet, as some other vegetable broths can do.
  4. Makes about four cups of sauce, which is perfect for one pan of most enchiladas. I spread one cup evenly across the bottom of the pan, use one cup in the filling, and drizzle two cups on top before baking.
  5. Sauce is very make-ahead and freezer-friendly. Keeps well in an airtight container in the fridge for a week or in the freezer for a year. You can even make a double batch, use half now, and freeze half for later.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 | Calories: 100kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 12mg | Sodium: 428mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g